No Thank You

I just read an article on babycenter.com (coolest place to go for week-by-week information on pregnancy) and they have this article on what Dads should expect for labor. It talks all about contractions and how to time them. I read it and it is totally freaking me out - so I'm sure it's going to freak Wes out.

It goes on and on about the stages of labor. I have decided, after a thorough investigation of labor, that I don't want any part of it.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_a-childbirth-cheat-sheet-for-dads-to-be_8244.bc

So there! No seriously - can I just say "no thank you" I don't really want to go into labor. There's got to be an easier way to have a baby than all this....

Oh PS - babycenter.com (who is alway right) said that at 31 weeks I am to expect to be pummeled tirelessly by my kid. Well done, Holden - you're right on track obviously.

31 Weeks How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Mazda Race Team

I did this race event thing at my work for the Mazda race team - they showed with RX-8's and MX-5's and signed helmets, etc. Anyway - this is just a funny picture of them all laughing at me trying to get into and fit in a race car. It was so tiny and my belly got in the way. Anyway it was a fun event but I don't think that Holden and I are destined for Nascar.

Growing Exponentially Each Day

Here is my belly at 7 months - after giving it a good hard scratching obviously. Seriously, my stomach itches like crazy. But anyway just charting my progress, though I seriously need to take another picture because it's growing exponentially now.

Holden is fierce. I woke up Monday morning feeling like I had broken ribs on the right side. He kicked or punched (not quite sure) me all night long I'm guessing and it has taken three full days for me to recover enough to laugh out loud without pain. I have to sit straight up or he comes at me with his flailing limbs.

Other than that and a few nasty flu bugs I've caught lately - all is going well. My doctor is having me come in every two weeks now and I get to have another ultra sound next week! Maybe this time I'll be able to make out something (other than the obvious heart beat).

My 10 Year HS Reunion Wasn't Terrible!

I'm not quite sure why I was so wary of going to my ten year high school reunion.....maybe it's because when Wes talks about his HS experience it sounds like light and fluffy pancakes - and yet when I think about the things that my friends and I dealt with it sounds so much more dense.

Not that I didn't have fun - I'm sure I did....maybe it's because I'm a girl and girls have such complex emotions that no matter what age we are things are intense for us. Here is a group shot of my closest friends in HS. I love them dearly. Aren't they beautiful?

I'm definitely glad the night was "just nice" - everyone was nice to each other, no hostility or lame pretense. Everyone was just nice. And Wes was incredible given the fact that I totally ditched him the entire night- he just hung out and made talk with the other husbands/boyfriends and entertained himself by playing BrickBreaker on his phone. I can't imagine me being so easy when he has his 10 year reunion - he was class president so I'm in for a real treat :)

"I had a dream, I had an awesome dream"

So Amber and I were out to dinner last night and had a wonderful conversation about music. I have come to realize that I can no longer berate her for listening to her guilty pleasures in as much as she recognizes the fact that they are guilty (very guilty).

This got me thinking about how my guiltiest of musical pleasures compare to hers. As I sat over my pizza in a kind of calm horror, I realized that there's some crap out there that I absolutely love.

Exhibit A: Lionel Richie
Uh, hello? How can anyone deny "Ballerina Girl," "Hello," "Penny Lover," "Stuck on You," "All Night Long," "Say You, Say Me," "Dancing on the Ceiling," or "3 Times a Lady?"
Answer: you can't.

There was a restaurant in Bulgaria that I frequently frequented for one reason only - they played nothing but Lionel Richie's greatest hits. It never got old. His voice is butter. His fro dominates. His popped collar is the only reason guys who try to do the same aren't instantly damned to perdition. He can wear white pants any month of the year.



Exhibit B: Hall & Oates
Talk about Ebony and Ivory - move the eff over, Sinatra and Stevie! And will my crush on crooners with lusciously huge hair ever end?
We're talking about "Private Eyes," "Kiss On My List," "You Make My Dreams," "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)," "Out of Touch," and of course "Maneater."

I've never seen one member of a duo (John Oates) be so content with being such a minor part of the band before.

Here, watch this YouTube video of "Private Eyes" for heaven's sake! Aren't they the cutest little guys you've ever seen? Isn't it so adorable how John Oates blinks his eyes so big, or Daryl Hall had probably practiced that spin move in front of the mirror for hours just to get it down?

Exhibit C: KD Lang
You probably didn't think I'd go that guilty, huh? Well, to be fair, it's mainly just one song by KD Lang. I don't know why, but I could listen to "Constant Craving" all day.

I think it's the sweeping end of each verse, the ebbing and flowing accordion, and KD Lang's tonally gorgeous and soft voice that moves me, because it's definitely not Ms. Lang moving me - lesbians aren't my cup of tea.

Here's the video, which isn't that bad, if you can get past the fact that she could be Paul Reubens' double.

There are plenty more, but I don't want to incriminate myself to much. Plus, too many such revelations could be too much for some of you.

And lastly, today's my favorite wife's birthday, and I love her so much! We're going to Lugano's tonight - sucks that I'll have KD Lang in my head the whole evening.

...and a curse on Anna

Here's the comment from the recipient of my ever-faithful hubstituting, Anna Shirley, regarding my wife's recent entry about my Bob Dylan concert foray:

In our case Anna, Amber usually does like the songs Bob Dylan writes.
(SCORE - Bob: 01 Anna: 00)
And further more, the Indigo Girls aren't worthy to listen to Bob Dylan, let alone cover such a righteous, righteous song such as "Tangled Up in Blue."
(SCORE - Bob: 02 Anna: -1)
I am, however, channeling the angst of Bob champions such as Paul Merten, so this could be considered ganging up on poor Anna.
(SCORE - Bob: 02 Anna: 00)
And, if asked whom I loved more out of these two intellectual heavyweights, I'd answer 10 times out of 10, "Anna."
(SCORE - Bob: 02 Anna: 01)

It was a close one, Anna, but Bob won. Everyone, can't we just agree that Bob paints one of the most concrete and personal narratives ever in this song? Yeah, Bob's voice is a bizarre acquired taste, but at least it's not a dime-a-dozen pop "maven" like Kelly Clarkson (sorry, Amber - I had to) or pseudo-emotional drivel like the stylings of that one "Delilah" song.

Here, take a listen (or re-listen) and hear for yourself:
Bob Dylan - Tangled Up in Blue

May 9th called - it wants its blog entry back

It's been four months since that incredible Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals where the Jazz beat the Warriors 127 to 117 in overtime because of the heroics of LDS apostle Robert D. Hales.
Wait, you didn't know about the incredible, clutch performance of The Haleacious One (the nickname given to him by L. Tom Perry)?

The Energy Solutions Arena's lower bowl was littered with baby blue, in honor of the infantile nature of the arch rival of The Haleacious One's alma mater.

I was able to round up a couple suite tickets (in the Citadel Broadcasting suite). My date for the evening, Jonathan, was casting his best jinx on the Golden State Warriors (see left). They were the upstart braggarts of the 2007 NBA Playoffs and the Jazz were about to serve them some humble pie.


The game was an intense affair, punctuated by the noticeable loss of starting 2-guard Derek Fisher. The arena was on edge, but there was a peculiar calm coming from the suite directly to the right of us. I couldn't put my finger on the particular brand of assuredness emanating from the small group.

As the fourth quarter came to an end, the tension was reaching a palpable climax. The Jazz were putting together a historic late game rally, spurned by the sudden appearance of Derek Fisher, direct from New York. I would later find out the the viewing television audience knew that he was en route, but we in the area had no idea that Fish would emerge from the sea of the Big Apple in time to see any action. After some huge missed opportunities by the Warriors and some stifling defense and a key 3-pointer from Fish, the Jazz forced an Overtime decision. There was something too perfect, almost scripted about the entire affair. The Jazz came out firing in the opening minute of the Overtime period and a win was never in doubt - a suitable yet subtle denouement that was definitely story book.

It wasn't until the waning minutes of OT that I realized why such a perfect playoff game was unfolding in the dramatic fashion it was. Gazing into the adjacent suite, I zeroed in on the source - the reason - for the Jazz's victory that night. The apostle Robert D. Hales was sitting there, stoic and confident, as if willing - no, controlling the entire outcome of the game. What I and tens of thousands of others were witness to that night was a miracle - a great and eternal plan to reward the Jazz and their fan base for years of faithful devotion after the Fall of Stockton and Malone to the ever-selfish deceiver, Michael Jordan.

bob dylan is still performing?

-post by amber -

call me ignorant, call me rude, call me musically-challenged and beatnik-deprived, but is bob dylan really still performing? i didn't even know he was still alive until a few months ago. my husband is in teluride, colorado right now with is equally-music-obsessed friends watching bob dylan perform tonight. i'm trying to hide the resentment, really i am, but is this man - of which i have posted a picture so you can all see the quandry i am in - really appealing enough to leave your pregnant wife for? let's be serious. :) just kidding, wes. i promise i'll get over it.

i was all for him going until i realized just how much i miss my husband when he's gone. not to mention the fact that we haven't progressed at all on our house-fixing-up because we've been out of town so much lately. and

meanwhile, i am reading harry potter the 7th and trying not to finish it too soon or i'll have nothing to do for the rest of the weekend. thus my blogging. :) maybe i'll clean the house....

Anna - this is for you

About Me:

4 jobs I've had: marketing director, PR director, research assistant, editor, waitress, hostess, oh wait that's more than four. i was never an accountant you'll see....

4 movies I can watch over and over: Ten Things I Hate About You, Pride and Prejudice (all versions), Mean Girls, Jon Tucker Must Die = mostly all brainless but humorous girl movies

4 favorite movies: Mean Girls, Pride and Prejudice (BBC), Brick, and I can't decide right now...

4 random places I've lived: New York, Texas, England (for a summer) and Ghana (for a summer)

4 favorite TV shows: I'm obsessed with Gilmore Girls. And anything on the Food network channel.

4 favorite reality TV shows: Hate them, sorry

4 favorite books: (I added this one because it's easier for me) The Brother's Karamazov, Alice in Wonderland, Tess of the D'ubervilles and every single book written byt he Bronte sisters. Oh and everything by Jane Austen. And Harry Potter - all of them, and Twilight. Sorry - I told you I'm not much for counting correctly....

4 of my favorite places I've been: Amsterdam, Florence, Sofia (just kidding I'm not a masochist), Cambridge and Manhattan

4 favorite foods: Italian anything, Sushi in any way, shape or form (of course now that I'm pregnant my cravings are stronger than ever and I can't have what I want!), Steak and potatoes and chocolate cake.

4 websites I check daily: Wells Fargo - I'm a woman obsessed with finances - Hotmail, various Blogs and a bunch of boring ones for work.

4 favorite hobbies: being jealous that my husband actually has hobbies, freaking out over finances, planning my next vacation and avoiding the reality of what i'm going to do when i have a baby.

pregnant in las vegas

-post by amber-

right after wes got back from scout camp, we took off and drove south. i stayed in st. george and worked for a few days and he went on to las vegas for a gold's gym international convention.

the second night i was in st. george without him the entire city's power got shut off. there was NO WHERE i could go. the dealership i was working in got really hot, movie theaters were closed, stores were closed, no one had air conditioning and no one had any idea how long it would last. i was staying in a tiny cute little mobile home that was stifling! i lasted all of 3 minutes in there when i called wes and announced that i was driving to las vegas for the night.

air conditioning is a beautiful thing. his bosses took everyone out to dinner at the four seasons, i was the only female of the lot and they were all very nice about the fact that i was crashing their boys night. i had to take off again in the morning to go back to st. george and work for a couple more days and then turned around on wednesday morning and went back to las vegas to spend the day with wes. he and his friends and i went to fashion show mall, ceasars palace (where this picture was taken), went to the cheesecake factory (i wish cheesecake appealed to me right now but it doesn't), laid out at the pool (well i did, wes played poker in the beachside casino) and saw wes give his presentation. it was fun, but driving so much took its toll on holden. he didn't like it very much and made his sentiments known the evening we got back. :)

fencing fencing...

--post by amber --

we've been working really hard on our house to get it ready to sell. and when i say "we" i mean wes. and his dad has been a huge help. our goal is to put it on the market by august. wes and his dad put up a fence around our side yard and it looks so good! i try to help but realize i'm just in the way - so i just sit around drinking a lot of water and pretend that i'm working hard....

Holden Hawkins Warren

--entry by amber ---

we had an ultra sound this week - i am 20 1/2 weeks along - and found out it is indubitably a BOY! we were excited but not surprised. it would have knocked my socks on their behinds if it had been a girl; i have totally just "known" it was a boy.

so ultra sounds are strange - the doctors and radiologists point out all these blobs on the screen and say, "oh that's his thalamus" or "these are his kidneys" - it's so weird because i didn't recognize anything. i am just taking their word for it. i mistook his heart for his mouth and his stomach for his head. i was all turned around.

the things that did actually look remotely recognizable were his hands. he had them all clenched in a fist and moving around. he punches me a lot i think. it's cute now while he's 12 ounces but when he gets bigger those hands are going to be full-on weapons.

so we already have the name all picked out. it will be Holden Hawkins Warren. the middle name, of course, being my maiden name. and holden being from holden in The Catcher in the Rye. though possibly one of the most well-written and defined characters in literature (in my humble opinion), it isn't because the character is super heroic or anything. we just really liked the name.

whelp that's it for now. we're going to st. george and las vegas again for work. maybe we'll take some pictures there.

i love you st. george

last weekend wes and i went down to st. george for the legacy subaru mitsubishi jubilee cup that my company puts on for the foundation of dixie regional medical center.

wes got to golf two days at coral canyon and entrada at snow canyon country club because his company, Gold's Gym, did a sponsorship.

it was perfect - everything went well and we had a great time. i just can't wait to get to live there one day - our goal is 5 years....maybe sooner. i love it there! i don't even mind all the old people and how slow they drive!

As the belly grows...

this picture was taken two weeks ago, but I took a picture today and it looks exactly the same. i'm 16 weeks now. i am not big enough to fit nicely into maternity clothes but i'm too big to fit comfortably in my regular clothes. so GREAT, people who don't know just think i'm getting fat.

wes and i decided to chart our baby's progress but we haven't had any more ultrasounds so we just get to take a picture of the outside of our baby.

we get to have a real ultra sound in a month that determines the baby's gender so we can stop calling it an "it." :)

i've gotten mostly over the nausea i think. i've finally stopped packing around saltines and pretzels, which i've absolutely grown to hate. and my distaste for vegetables (or anything healthy) has minimized. i actually had a salad the other day!

Newest Warren Addition

Wes and I are very excited to announce the newest Hawkins-Warren addition! Though he is only about an inch long, he's making a huge impact in our life already - today, for example, I rushed out of the house a little too quickly for work and must have disturbed him a little too much, so he made up for it by making me SO sick in the car that I had to pull over in the nearest gas station to throw up in their trash can. With a ton of people sitting in traffic watching. Very pleasant I know, but I'm the one that had to do it! So you can just be forced to hear about it.

This is our ultra sound that we had last week. I had another one yesterday from my doctor and it was so crazy - she bounced the ultra sound nodule thing on my stomach and said "let's wake this little critter up" and then held it still and we could see the embryo lurch and move all angry that we had disturbed his slumber. It was SO freaking cute! I don't know why I keep calling him a he, but I do. So in about 10 weeks if I'm wrong, sue me.

Wes and I are thrilled about being pregnant. Wes is the best husband/caretaker/servant/lover I can imagine. He takes so much responsibility off me that it's bliss. Well, not bliss really since I've been really sick, but I can't imagine what it would be like without him being so wonderful to me. Right now I'm 9 weeks and 6 days - so pretty much 10 weeks. ALMOST past my first trimester thank goodness!

Things that help with nausea (this is a note for myself): salty foods like pretzels and saltines and sour things like oranges and lemon heads.

Things I like to eat: Subway sandwiches, Top Ramen noodles (gross, I know, but it tastes stellar right now), vegetables with good dip, cheese, chocolate milk and orange juice.

I'm not really craving anything right now - it's more of like what can I eat that doesn't make me want to die. But I'll keep updating this because I know I'll find it useful if I do this again or if anyone asks for advice.

Sbogum, Bulgaria!

That means "goodbye forever" in Bulgarian. I like how they have a different word for "goodbye" that implies the reality of never seeing whatever one is goodbyeing to ever again.

Our Sofia strolls were lovely today. We got to catch up on some sights, especially the national palace of culture. The park is looking good - a lot better than when it looked when I was last here - and the place was packed. I'm just always amazed at the number of Bulgarians that find themselves with nothing to do, at any given time of the day. You want to be able to feel sorry for their economical plight, but then you see the apathy that they continue to show towards fowarding their own situations, and you sort of just say, "hmmm, well, I'm going to back to America where I not only can be as successful as I want, but it's a mindset that is very much a part of our culture."

We're waking up at 3:45 to catch a cab at 4:00 and be at the airport by 4:30 for our 6:30 flight. Not fun. I actually don't mind waking up early, I'm just uneasy about actually waking up on time, getting the cab in a timely fashion, and getting to our terminal in plenty of time. It's always a disconcerting enterprise, especially when you're beginning the trans-Atlantic journey from a country like Bulgaria. We didn't have the forsight to bring an alarm clock, or even a watch for that matter, so we're at the mercy of those running the hostel (they promised us a wake-up call and to call us a cab). I guess we'll see.

I'm glad we only made this a 6-day trip. It's been an incredibly exciting and rewarding trip, but also really stressful at times. I enjoy normalcy and routine a lot more than I thought. I'm excited to get back to my house, my job, my fantasy sports teams, and my regular boring life. I guess it's just security and peace of mind I enjoy, and you get little of both when you're travelling, especially travelling abroad.

I've really enjoyed Amber's perspective on Bulgaria. She's really observant and more qualified to opine than anyone else I know. She's been the perfect travelling companion and has proved herself as capable as any foreigner in Bulgaria, which is saying a lot.

Let's hope we get home in one piece and that our baggage is all there to greet us.

We'll post all of our pictures on a Flickr page next week (if you aren't familiar with Flickr, I'll fill you in later).

Ring around the rosies

Have I mentioned that there are flower stands are nearly every corner in Sofia? They smell so good and they do the coolest arrangements with them. I saw a flower arrangement with a pineapple in it the other day. Anyway, I thought it was interesting enough to mention. At least something smells good in Sofia!

Today we took it relatively easy. We walked around a lot - but took more breaks. We went to this really cool underground church that dates back to the 11th century! It was small and smelly but pretty cool. And then we walked to this palace of culture thing which was in this awesome huge park. Wes can tell you more about what that is about but I just really thought it was pretty. We also went on this bridge called Lover's Bridge or something like that. It just goes across a busy street but it's got a pretty name. Tonight we walked around Sofia one last time; we leave really really early in the morning tomorrow. Wes and I took silly pictures of each other and enjoyed the beautiful weather here.

Food:
Palenchetta - I have no idea if I spelled that right - is really good. It's crepe, basically, and you can get a bunch of fruit or whatever in it. I had bananas and chocolate. They mix oranges and chocolate a lot and that's what Wes got. Let's see, what else did we eat: tonight we went to the Big Chicken and got (surprise) chicken and mashed potatoes. And then ordered this thing I can't remember the name of that tasted like rice pudding.

Clothing:
Today I just realized that I'm taller than almost all the Bulgarian women here. I don't know how I could have missed that. But I didn't realize it until I went to try on shoes. Shoe after shoe was too small - they never went big enough to fit my feet! And then I realized all of the Bulgarki are not only skinny - they are short. And if they come even close to my height, it's only because I'm wearing flats and they're wearing 3-inch heels. Hmm, so there shorties.

Sofia, thy name is sore, blistered feet

Yeah, so we walked around a lot in Sofia today (Thursday). We went everywhere there is to go in the main part of the city. A lot has changed, and I took pictures of the changes for you Bulgaria connoisseures out there (there's no more "den of thieves," the holy water spouts by the djumaya (mosque) have been removed and replaced by a big, decorative fountain, Bulgarians actually completely run the church building in Sofia).
Speaking of that, we made a stop by the old church building/mission home. It was in the area and Amber needed a break. We went in and Amber was able to snooze on the couch downstairs (in the rec room where the ping-pong table now lies in shambles). I chatted with Sis. Nadejda, who I knew from my days with Merten in the Center branch at the old Tsar Boris III street building. That was fun. It was weird being in the church building. Everything has stayed the same, which was sort of disconcerting. I think because it conjured up all of these weird memories of when I was a missionary - I was a different person then, the work was hard and frustrating, and it was a time where I was basically devoting all of my emotional and spiritual faculties to helping people out with the gospel. I can't imagine doing that now, or at least doing it without having that calling and mantle of a "missionary." But this helped me out - I was flipping through the new brouchure/booklet that the made about the church here in Bulgaria and there was a picture of the primary kids doing the nativity scene, and one of the little girls (now 6 or 7 years old) was part of a family that I baptized (she was just a tiny baby at the time). That means at least one of her parents is still active, and so is she.
When we finally go back to the hostel, we were introduced to our new room. It's large and nice, with a great bathroom! I didn't waste any time walking back to the old hostel, carrying our two suitcases back to the new one, then going back and carrying our two carry-on bags also! My feet - from the day's walking and touring the city - were sooooo sore. But it was worth it, and I'm not one to be slowed down by sore feet.
We took many pictures so everyone will be able to enjoy Sofia, too!
Oh yeah, so I just checked to see how the Jazz have been doing this week - what the heck happened to them?!?!?!? Has the ghost of past Jazz teams come back to haunt them? I officially have no confidence that they'll do anything in the playoffs. Oh well, the NFL draft is just a couple weeks away...

Walking, walking, walking

We walked all over Sofia today. Or at least I felt like we were all over it - I think we were only on a very small corner. We walked around this area where they have tons if little tents set up with loads of books in Bulgarian. Wes wants to translate a book from Bulgarian to English and he was scouring over them to find some. Meanwhile, I went to a pizza stand and ordered a pizza slice ALL BY MYSELF with my limited Bulgarian. I could only order what I wanted but I couldn't understand whe he said back so I just stared blankly at him and then pretended I didn't hear him. He probably thought I was so weird. I gave him my money and took the pizza and the change, quite proud of myself.

There's this cathedral here - called Alexandre Nevki (sp?) cathedral, built by the Bulgarians in honor of the Bulgarians, Romanians, etc who fought bravely against the Ottoman empire in 1877-1878. The cathedral is huge - and very black inside. The religion here is Orthodox and boy do the people live up to that connotation. Wes was wearing a visor in the church and got scolded by an old Babba for it. Right around the Nevki cathedral there is a St. Sofia church and a bunch of other really cool buildings that we took pictures of. Then we went to the Bulgarian mission home. Wes wanted to see it and I wanted to use the potty so we hung out there and Wes talked to one of the members. I'm sure Wes will tell you all about it and how strange it was to be back.

Then we went shopping! They have this huge bazaar set up with tons of fresh fruit and vegetables near the shopping district of Sofia. Then as you go up the other side they have pots and baking things and clothes. I didn't find anything there so we went over to the malls and I found a couple things. Then we came back to the hostel and rested up for a bit before dinner. Everyone is really nice here.

Food:
I finally got to eat steamed vegetables tonight - we totally cheated and went to this Italian restaurant where they had an English menu. I got tortellini in a cream sauce and steamed vegetables. But I also ordered garlic bread which was a huge mistake. It smelled like gasoline - I'm not kidding. It was really a flatbread with so much burnt garlic on it I'll be surprised if I don't still smell like it even after a shower just from sitting by it. I couldn't eat it. Oh they have dunkin' donuts here - I can't forget to mention that. Wes was blown away - that's definitely a new addition. And in true D&D form, they have them on every corner of the Sofian mainstreets. I had a dark chocolate one and hot chocolate. It was so good. And some pizza today. So nothing really foreign - sorry I'm a cheat.

Clothing:
I don't really like shopping in Bulgaria. The stores are really cramped and crowded and you feel like nobody wants to help you because they aren't overly friendly. And then you feel like crap for putting them to all this work and not buying anything. Plus it's coupled with the fact that I don't understand what they're saying so maybe they are but I can't tell. Everything I hear comes second-hand through Wes. And did I tell you they shake their heads for yes and nod their heads for no????? Omigosh it's so confusing. Seeing someone smiling while shaking their heads is so bizarre to me. And the funniest and worst part of it is that my husband does it now - even when we're alone! It's only a litle bit funny.

Sofia - Not Just for "Golden Girls" Anymore!

We made it safely!
Actually, the drive here was pretty easy and quick. The first night (picking up from where Amber left off) was crazy but it ended OK.
It was my charge to return the rental car yesterday evening. There was an Avis affiliate (inside of a Suzuki dealership) where I was to return the car. This place honestly took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to find! It was located on the outskirts of Sofia, which was no problem. I drove right there, but I was circling the same 4 sq. block area for at least 30 minutes trying to find the place! It was frustrating to say the least and I knew time was running out. I finanlly found it after many prayers - but it was closed! So I went over to the Suzuki dealership and there was a cleaning lady there after hours. I explained my predicament and she got on the phone and called a few people. She got someone to come down there (who lived only about 10 minutes away) and sign the car out for me. She was an angel! I thanked them both profusely and took a cab back to the hostel where Amber was happily waiting, watching "Ice Age 2" with a couple of American girls that are also staying in the hostel.
This is a really well run establishment, this hostel is. There are people from all over always coming in and out of the common area. Ireand, Switzerland, Scotland, Canada, USA, Portugal, Enlgand. For most of the Sofia is just a stop on their whirlwind tour of Europe, with their next stop usually being either Prague or Instanbul.
Our first night here was in a pretty beat up, crappy little room (not unlike some of my apartments while I was a missionary!) about 7 blocks away from the main hostel common location. It was smelly and small - I was OK with it, and Amber survived it like a total champ. For the last two nights we'll be here in the main hostel where the accomodations are much better and more cozy - and it's most centrally located in Sofia.
I was up at 6:30 this morning and went out to walk around a bit and get some bonitza (a morning pastry with feta). It was a typical, chilly Bulgarian morning - very crisp and pleasant. It's surreal to be back.
Today we're going to hit the main sites of the city - the cathedrals, city buildings, bazaars & other shopping. We'll return and report.